Fuel-mixing device for internal-combustion engines.



G. G. MOSELEY.

FUEL MIXING DEVICE FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 5.1917.

Patented Mar. 12, 1918.

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rarnnr @FMQEQ GEORGE GILMER MOSELEY, 0F RICHMOND, VIRGINIA.

FUEL-MIXING DEVICE FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGIN'ES.

of which the following is a specification,

reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

My invention relates to internal combus tion engines and has for itsobject the roduction of an'eflicient, self-contained agitat- 1n andmixing device which shall be applica le in standard form without changeexcept as to dimensions, to any standard make of internal combustionengine, with especial reference to engines used in automobiles and motorboats.

According to standard practice, the combustible mixture for engines ofthis class is produced in a carbureter provided with gas or gasoleneinlet and air inlet openings,

separately adjustable, and an outlet, provided with a butterfly valve orsimilar device for regulating the flow of the mixture into the intakemanifold of the engine. This manifold and the carbureter beingmanufactured and assembled as separate parts, a flanged joint isprovided for their union. As'the'complete power plant units come out ofthe shop, thls flanged union is sealed so that the carbureter dischargesdirectly through the intake into the combustion chambers, as determinedby the intake valves of the respective cylinders. All mixing of thecharge is done in" the carburetor, although the vapor is not alwaysheated to a proper temperature until after it reaches the manifold,which ordinarily becomes heated from the engine more quickly and moreuniformly than the body of the carbureter. In order to heat thecarbureter more efiiciently, some designs locate it above the cylindercastings especially in the V type of engine for eight or twelvecylinders. In'some cases special heating means are provided such aswater jackets and the like. Even with these, however, no betterincorporation of the gaseous ingredients of the mixtureis produced thanbefore, the improvement being limited in its effect to the more completevaporization of the fuel while passing through the carbureter. Duringthis va orization phase, I have found it inadvisab leto attempt a vemoreintimate mechanical mixture partly, be-

Specification of Letters Patent.

atented Maro 1%, H918.

Application filed June 5, 19 17. Serial No. 172,873.

cause any further complication ofthe carbureter itself interfereswithperfect adjustment which is absolutely essential to sue-. cessfuloperation. I am aware that it has heretofore been proposed to placepaddles or mixers in the carbureter, but for the reason stated, sucharrangements have been found impracticable and so far as I am aware havebeen completely abandoned.

Exhaustive experiments have shown me ,that the most efl'ective, and infact thepnly reliable method of mechanically mixing the ingredients isto perform this operation either in or at the entrance to the intake,manifold, and in such manneras not to impede the free flow of the vapordue to the 1 suction of the engine, and particularly to throw it out sofar as possible against the walls of the manifold, 30 as to take much ofthe heat transmitted therethrough and also to maintain a uniform densityas well as composition throughout. the entire advancing column.

It has been proposed heretofore to insert rotating fans or mixers in thepipe leading from the fuel supply to the engine. devices, however, havebeen unsatisfactory because of their failure to observe the only correctprinciple on which trustworthy action must depend, viz., that ofcomplete absence of friction during rotation and-particularly the high.speed rotation of the mixer. When an engine is running at high speed,its suction is tremendous, and necessarily so as it must have largequantities of Even ball bearings will foul to some extent,

if the raceways be made of brass or steel, but I have found that thesedefects ca n be avoided, and excellent results attained by the use ofTobin bronze for the bearings, steel balls, and construction andadjustments such that in actual operation and especially at high speeds,which means un-'' Such i der the influence of strong vapor currents,

the propellers or mixers will be lifted entirely oif their bearings andliterally float on the vapor currents. At such a time, contact, if anythere be, is on the upper sides of the bearings and is ,very light,being due only to the factor of buoyancy, or the difference between thelifting power of the vapor and the downward pull due to the mass of theparts. The central spindle I prefer to make of steel for the sake ofstrength, and the steel balls employed are of course heat hardened.Since the Tobin bronze bearings not only resist heat but also resistcorrosion and fouling, my structure will operate indefinitely withoutchoking the engine and without any of the drawbacks mentioned. In orderto render the flotation as easy as possible, even at moderate speeds ofthe engine, I make the propeller blades as elsewhere stated, ofaluminum.

I attain my object and avoid the difiiculties above recited by providinga flanged spider with a central vertical spindle, without any casing,and mounting directly upon this spindle a plurality of oppositelyrotating mixers of very light metal, carried on hubs separated byspacing rings, with antifriction bearings between the adjacent faces ofthe hubs and spacing rings, and placing at the top of the spindle aretaining disk, so related to the upper spacing ring that a definite butlimited amount of end play is permitted all the rotating parts, wherebythe fan mixers will virtually float on the incoming current of gas andvapor and will be rotated thereby substantially without friction. Thisdevice, thus constructed as a selfcontained unit, and so proportionedthat the outside diameter of each fan circle will be almost equal to theinternal diameter of the intakein which it is to be used, is inserted inthe end of the intake pipe adjacent the carbureter, with its ring flangeclamped in the flanged union above referred to.

By actual test, this device shows an economy of fuel up to 17 per cent.for the same mileage, on standard automobile engines such as forcxamplethatof the Cadillac eight. The fan blades are broadest at theirouter ends, and are so shaped that in passing into the intake afterleaving them, the vapor has a tendency to whirl outward after beingthoroughly mixed, so that it comes constantly into contact with theheated walls of the intake pipe, and expands inwardly, whereby it notonly gets the greatest possible heat eflect before it reaches theengine, but also maintains an approximately uniform density of theadvancing column of vapor in the pipe.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which-Figure 1 is a side view of my invention, with stiffening posts.

the spindle and connectedparts of Figs. 1

and 3.

Fig. 5 is a plan View of one fan detached from its hub ring.

Referring to the drawings, 1 is a flanged spider base carrying a spindle2 shouldered at its upper and lower ends as indicated at 3 and 4, thelower end being riveted or otherwise firmly secured in the center of thespider and the upper end carrying a, cap disk and nut 5 and 6."

On the spindle 2 are loosely mounted the rotating bearing rings 7, 8, 9,10 and 11. Between the adjacent faces of all of these rings are sets ofsteel balls respectively numbered 12, 13', 14:, 1.5 which travel inraceways formed in the Fig. 4:. The rings 7 and 11 are cap and footrings respectively, serving the purpose of end bearing pieces and alsoas distance pieces to keep the fan hubs spaced away from the spider andthe cap disk respectively. The ring 9 is a separator ring, keeping thefan hubs away from each other and furnishing an additional antifrictionelement between the opposite rotating fans. The rings 8 and 10 are thefan hubs and are double, that is to say each is made of two ringsriveted together with the hub disk of the fan blades between them.

The spider 1 and the spindle 2 are of high grade tool steel, the rings 7to 11 are of Tobin bronze and the fans and'their hubs are of aluminum.

The reason for making the spindle and spider of the fine'st steel isthat these are the parts that must remain in accurate quadrature, thespindle being accurately centered in the intake pipe inv order tomaintain proper centering of the fans. The reason faces of the rings asshown in for-making the rings of Tobin bronze is because they not onlymust stand wear but they must resist heat. The rate of rotation of theserings and the fans is from 1800 to 3600 R. P. M., or even more. It isestimated that on some types of engine, such for example as the Marmonracer and others with a long stroke and a large bore, the rate ofrotation of these fan blades rises to 7,000 per minute. It is quiteapparent that as the efficiency depends upon unimpeded supply of thefuel in these cases, the slightest sticking or impedence on the part ofthe mixer would practically cripple the engine.

Each of the fans or mixers as 12 and 13 is punched out of sheet aluminumin one piece as shown in Fig. 5 and the blades are then bent inpropeller form, the blades of the two fans 12 and 13 being right handedand left handed so that they will rotate in opposite fan, one setbetween each adjacent pair of rings, each fan-carrymg ring being incontact with the bearings on both sides When at 1 rest, but entirely Outof Contact with the hearings on the lower side when in operation, thediameter of said ball bearings and the depth of the races being soproportioned in relation to the spacing during operation 20 as toprevent unseating of the said bearings. In testimony whereof I affix mysignature.

GEORGE GILMaR' MOSELEY.

